There is always danger on mountains for mountaineers and there is no shortage of troubles and trials around Everest Base Camp, let alone the expedition trails higher up at the high camps and on the summit.
Last year Nepal experienced the biggest earthquake in over 80 years which cost thousands of lives and livelihoods as well as billions in damage to infrastructure.
Why Everest Base Camp
Back then I was on my second Everest expedition when my teammates and I got caught out in the middle of a glacier. This was when the earthquake struck. We got caught up at Camp two for three days. The only route out through the Khumbu icefall was damaged. With the ongoing threat of aftershocks, the only practical way out of the mountains was by using a chopper.
Everest Base Camp was wiped out by an earthquake-induced avalanche. There was the danger to the pilots risking their lives doing rescues at such high altitudes. What a surreal moment that was.
This video gives you an idea of the experience dropping back down int Everest Base Camp to try and make sense of the situation.
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